In recent years, hybrid vehicles having an engine and a motor mounted thereon as a driving device have received attention as environmentally-friendly vehicles. Regarding these hybrid vehicles, Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2000-333305 discloses a driving control apparatus of a hybrid vehicle wherein a route to a destination is divided into a plurality of sections, a vehicle speed pattern is estimated for each section on the basis of a road condition of the route to the destination and a driving history of a driver, and an operating schedule of an engine and a motor for each section is set so as to minimize fuel consumption to the destination.
In the art disclosed in foregoing Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2000-333305, however, the operating schedule for each section that the vehicle travels is automatically set and cannot be precisely tailored to the driver's preferences.
Though fuel efficiency of hybrid vehicles has been improved with the advancement of technology, it is preferable that drivers also have an awareness of fuel-efficient driving. In order to raise awareness of the drivers about fuel-efficient driving, it is more desirable that the drivers can also participate in setting of an operating schedule of an engine and a motor of a hybrid vehicle.